BSO Digital and the 2017 Google Master Class

BSO Digital’s own Janelle and Adam were invited to attend this year’s Google Master Class. As Google Partners, we are always excited to attend this extremely powerful and innovative seminar so we can learn best how to help you, our customers. Every month, Google drives tens of millions of direct connections between businesses and their customers. So join us as Janelle and Adam take us through what we learned from the 2017 Google Master Class.

AI-First World

One of the biggest aspects of the Google Master class was the discussion of AI in the future of the workforce and marketing. With the world – digital or otherwise – becoming more complicated we need AI to help us navigate.

What is AI, you ask? AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning) are intrinsic parts of the digital future. AI science is helping to make things smarter, to the point that they can perform complicated tasks. Machine learning is the process by which AI learns. It involves learning by example, getting computers to perform tasks without explicit programming. AI-First technology helps us with everyday problems, such as navigation, and is already in a variety of products we use online – from Google Maps to YouTube. They also help us with old problems, working to improve everything from data centre efficiency to breast cancer diagnosis.

It is projected that AI will save us 50% of our time which can be reinvested back into our businesses and ourselves. AI is exponential in nature and will leave those behind who don’t keep up with innovation. Google encouraged us to avoid a “wait and see” approach and instead embrace the future as creative thinkers. Each business should dedicate 10% of its budget to innovation. The digital agency of the future is one that will build capabilities and skills to solve business problems, embrace change and curiosity, and enjoy a lifetime of learning.

The Digital World of the Future

Technology has changed everything. We live in a world on the cusp of total digital immersion. Future thinkers point out that 85% of jobs that exist in 2023 haven’t been invented yet. We need to prepare for the future as a globalised workforce and a lifetime of retraining. Users have a wide selection of devices, channels and content to choose from across multiple platforms. This means a lot of fragmented data which is difficult to track and take action for advertisers. Users expect faster, relevant and frictionless experiences whenever and wherever they are.

In fact, our new consumer behaviour has actually broken traditional measurement processes. This means we have to rethink how we measure engagement with our businesses and brands. 90% of people switch between screens to complete tasks. 30% of customer journeys involve more than one channel of interaction. 45% increase in local shopping queries. The world is embracing the idea of different people with different needs at different stages across different experiences. This means we need to start measuring and managing a user’s entire digital journey. And this is where the exciting innovations in Google Adwords will help!

Advertising Optimisation

There are a lot of exciting things coming for Google Adwords that will change the way we all view digital advertising. As we’ve said before, the digital sphere is growing more and more competitive. There are 10 times the resources users can consult before making a purchase. 90% of consumers who own various devices will switch between them to complete a task. And users are twice as more likely to be influenced by targeted digital advertising. Consumers want information based on what is most relevant to them:

Time

Device

Location

Interest

Intent

There are 3.5 billion searches made via Google each day! And 15% of those searches are unique. This means targeted, clever advertising is more important than ever. Google Adwords has some incredible options emerging that will let us customise your advertising down to the search terms used, time of day, device and location. Geo-targeting, time-frame targeting, a revitalised Dynamic Search Advertising section and automated customisation makes this more intriguing and interesting than ever. It is all about showing the right message to the right person. Compared to keyword marketing, Dynamic Search Advertising garners 30% more clicks, 30% higher click through rates, and 30% lower Costs per click.

Advertising Automation

By automating these new optimisation techniques it means we can effectively divide our time on your Adwords campaigns. Nearly 80% of manual, less strategic tasks can be automated. The introduction of Smart-Bidding uses advanced machine learning to drive informed, accurate bidding decisions. The further optimised frequency and precision of the bidding AI means it can adjust bids for every auction. And, finally, a rich set of auction-time signals are used to capture contextual relevance for every unique search. This means we can take the millions of variables out of our hands and give them to the bidding AI, freeing us up to further improve your campaigns. It also allows us monitor how a bid strategy can improve over time, as well as understand the limitations so we can take action quickly.

Excited to see where BSO Digital can take you and your business? Contact us today to take advantage of our Google Partners expertise!